A plow removes snow at an entrance of the Kansas Turnpike near Lawrence, Kan., Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. The turnpike section of I-70 remains open. I-70 is closed west of Junction City, Kan. The area is under a blizzard warning.(Photo: Orlin Wagner, AP, Orlin Wagner, AP)

If you've ever experienced the panic of sudden whiteout conditions and temperature drops that make roads slick then quickly fizzle, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says you've survived a snow squall.

Detroit will be one of the first agencies to test the "first short-fused, polygon-based" snow squall warning system. The National Weather Service is implementing the new warnings this winter in seven cities.

On Twitter, the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador initiative page announced the theme of this year's Winter Seasonal Safety Campaign is "#winter driving" and linked to safety information about snow squall warnings.

According to NOAA, five NWS forecast offices in the U.S. Northeast, one in Wyoming and one in Michigan will issue snow squall warnings when conditions warrant.

"Snow Squall Warnings are issued for intense, but limited duration, periods of moderate to heavy snowfall, accompanied by gusty surface winds resulting in reduced visibilities and whiteout conditions," a Weather-Ready Nation handout published by the administration said.

While major snowstorms are predicted ahead of time, snow squalls can begin suddenly and typically last less than an hour.

"Squalls can occur where there is no large-scale winter storm in progress and might only produce minor accumulations," NOAA said.

However, NOAA's new GOES-16 satellite, recent improvements in Doppler radar, increased supercomputing capacity, plus more accurate and detailed weather models have helped forecasters identify snow squalls and other localized short-term weather events quickly and as they are developing, the administration said.

"Snow squalls can easily cause large highway pileups — capable of multiple fatalities — due to their brief but heavy snowfall, low or no visibility, and slick road surfaces."

"If a snow squall warning is issued for your area, your best bet is to avoid or delay motor travel until the squall passes through your location. There truly is no safe place on the highway during a snow squall, but if you are already in transit and cannot exit the road in time, drive very slowly and allow plenty of distance between you and the car in front of you," NOAA said.